Dallas Jew sues after losing job offer over Shabbat observance
Local sheriff department says Isabel Balderas's request to end workweek early incompatible with position requiring 24/7 availability
An Orthodox Jewish American woman has filed a lawsuit against Dallas County for rescinding a job offer after she told them she would need to leave work early on Fridays in order to observe Shabbat.
Isabel Balderas filed the lawsuit Wednesday in district court, the Dallas Morning News reported.
According to the lawsuit, Balderas was offered a data management position with the Resource Development Division at the sheriff’s office in July 2013.
After being informed that she had received the job, she told the sheriff’s office that she would have to be home before sundown on Fridays, meaning that in winter she would have to leave about 30 minutes before the end of the working day.
Balderas’s attorney, Robert Lee, told the newspaper that she had even offered to work extra days in order to be entitled to the Friday hours, but the sheriff’s office refused.
The Dallas County Sheriff’s Department told the newspaper that Balderas did not mention her need for religious accommodation when she interviewed for the position. The department told the newspaper that her request was incompatible with the requirements of the job, saying that the data manager is on call 24/7 and that she would be unavailable during emergencies from Friday night to Saturday night.
The lawsuit claims Dallas County discriminated against her based on her religion, and violated her civil rights. Balderas is seeking between $100,000 and $1 million in damages.